


Protect the President

by heeeymackelena



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, secret service au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 01:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15522837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeeymackelena/pseuds/heeeymackelena
Summary: It's Melinda May's job to protect the President, its her heart's need to protect Phil Coulson.





	Protect the President

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this a while back for a Philinda AU challenge, and I'm finally posting it here

Something was off. She knew it. Her gut was telling her something was about to happen and it had never led her wrong before. That’s how she got this job. Nick Fury, Director of the Secret Service, trusted her above anyone else to protect President Coulson. Although… she wasn’t so sure he would still trust her with the job if he found out that she and been sleeping with Phil for the last six months.

Trusting her instincts, she scanned the crowd for any sign of danger. Nothing really caught her attention but that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach was still there. Maybe it was just guilt.

Things had been a bit rocky between them for the past few days. The sneaking around was starting to get at Melinda’s conscience. On top of that, although she refused to admit it, she was starting to have some serious feelings for Phil. So of course, she went into self-destruct mode. Starting fights, emotional distance, and basically anything else that could possibly bring a good relationship to an end. But that didn’t matter right now. She was on the job, and work came before anything personal. At that moment, she finally glimpses what might be causing the sour feeling in her stomach.

Melinda May was expertly trained in  _many_  forms of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry. There was no one in the country that doubted her skills. It's what makes her most qualified to do this job. But even the best secret service agents find that sometimes all the training in the world doesn’t do you any good. With this job, sometimes you just have to jump. Jump, and hope the bullet doesn’t rip right through you.

At first, she doesn’t feel anything, and she worries that maybe she failed. Maybe the bullet made it pass her and hit Phil. But then a burning sensation in her abdomen settles her fears. Pulling back the hand that had instinctively grabbed her side, she sees it's covered in blood. It all hits her at once, and she’s falling back. But she doesn’t hit the ground. Phil is there, and then his arms are around her bringing her gently down.

“Melinda!” His voice is foggy through the shock.

The fire in her abdomen is starting to spread. The warmth she feels is somehow soothing, but also frightening. She knows what it means.

“Melinda! Look at me.” His voice is clearer now. When their eyes finally meet Phil lets out a shuttering breath. There is relief on his face, but his voice is harsh when he speaks again. “Why did you do that?”

She looks at him, confused for a moment. This was her job. Her sole purpose was to make sure he is safe. To protect him. And if she was being honest with herself, it wasn’t just the job.

“I…” She pauses. No. She can’t say that. Not now. It would be too sad. “You mean a lot to me.  _A lot_.” She hopes he understands.

Then, as if this was all some cruel joke played by the universe, Melinda’s eyes roll back in her head. Her world goes dark, and Phil’s comes crashing down.

“Melinda? Open your eyes. Melinda! Come on, stay with me!” Phil's voice shakes as he tries to wake the fallen agent. He barely registers Agent Triplett’s voice speaking to him.

“Mr. President, we need to get you out of here NOW! It isn’t safe.”

“I’m not leaving her.”

“There are paramedics on their way. She will be taken care of. But you are the leader of the free world and you're still in danger. We need to get you someplace safe.” Trip’s voice was calm and clear as he spoke. All his training had prepared him for this.

“The only place I need to be is with her.” Phil responded just as calmly, looking straight into Agent Triplett’s eyes. “I go where she goes.”

Silence passed, as there was a battle between wills. Finally, Coulson’s won out.

“Well okay then.” Trip said as he positioned his arms to lift and carry Agent May’s still body.

“I’ve got it.” Coulson said, taking her in his arms.

Trip covered his back as they made their way to where the rest of the Secret Service team was waiting to shuffle them into a secure room inside. This just so happened to be a conference room and once there, President Coulson laid the leader of his presidential detail on a couch pressed against the far wall. It didn’t matter if her blood stained the expensive leather. It had already ruined his nice suit.

The only time Phil leaves her side is when the paramedics finally arrive. There is a flourish of activity and then May’s body is being transported to an ambulance outside. Phil demands to ride with her. It goes against every protocol they have, but he’s the President of the United States and he’ll be damned if they try to separate him from the woman he loves.

* * *

When she wakes, her eyelids are heavy and everything is too bright. She doesn’t know where she is and everything is so confusing and strange. And then she sees him. Even without seeing his face she knows it is him. And of course he is standing in the corner of the room messing with the arrangement of what could only be described as a  _ridiculously_  large bouquet of flowers.

“Shouldn’t you be running the country?”

She wasn’t sure he would be able to hear her considering how sore and scratching her throat felt, but from the way his back tensed up she could tell that he had. He turns slowly, as if afraid that his ears have deceived him. Seeing that her eyes are in fact open and she is looking right at him, he quickly makes his way over to her bedside only to freeze before his outstretched hand could touch her face. Instead he places it on the bed railing.

“I know things didn’t end well the last time we spoke in private but-”

“Come here.” She interrupts him before he can waste any more time.

Even though her arms feel like noodles, she reaches up to grab the tie that dangled down from Phil’s neck and pulls him into her. She plants her lips firmly against his and refuses to break the kiss until she can no longer stand the lack of oxygen. When they finally do pull apart, Phil doesn't go very far. He places another gentle kiss on her forehead before resting his head against hers. After a small moment of comfortable silence in which they both just enjoyed having each other close, he speaks.

“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t made it.”

Hating the sadness present in his voice, Melinda pulls away from him slightly so she can look into his eyes.

“I need you.” He whispers.

She looks down and gently reachs for his hand to pull it into her lap to play with his fingers.

“Phil, before… when I said you mean a lot to me. What I meant was…” She felt him tense up again, as if in fear of what was coming next. What did he think she would do? Take it back? “What I meant was… I love you.”

Phil remains frozen, however now the rigidness in his body is gone. It's only a moment before he's letting out an audible sigh of relief.

“I love you too, Melinda.” There is an obvious smile in his voice, which Melinda confirms when she looks back up and sees one planted firmly on his face.

Her own large smile now brightening her pale face, she leans forward as much as her sore body allows, searching for his lips once again.

“Am I interrupting something?” Comes a familiar voice from the doorway that makes Melinda freeze and her stomach drop.

“Fury.” Phil greets, disappointed at the interruption. But he wasn’t going to tell Fury that.

“Mr. President.” He turns his attention to the nervous looking Melinda who was suddenly very interested in an imaginary spot on Phil’s tie. “How are you feeling, Agent May?”

“Fine, sir. Thank you for checking in on me.” She replies, finally finding the courage to look in his direction.

“It’s the least I could do for one of my best agents.” He enters the room further and gives the couple a very meaningful look with his good eye. “You did your job well.”

 _Maybe a little too well._ Was the meaning Melinda took from his words. There is an awkward pause before he speaks again, surprising the two.

“I was actually hoping this would happen. Well… not  _this_  exactly.” He said gesturing to the hospital room around them.

“Excuse me, sir?” Melinda asked, confused. 

“What? You thought I didn’t know? I always know. In fact, I practically set the two of you up. Thought his personality might soften your hard ass up. You’re a good agent May, but you’ve gotta learn to relax sometimes.”

Phil and Melinda smile at each other knowing that was exactly what had happened. It had taken a while, she put up a good fight, but eventually he had been able to win her over.

“And I’m not the only one. You two aren’t as sneaky as you think. Maria calls you two Philinda for God’s sake. And I’m almost seventy-five percent sure your assistant Skye has been planning your wedding for a while now.”

The couple was left laughing, albeit Melinda a bit weakly due to her injuries, when Fury leaves them to do some healing in private. Melinda has no idea how long or even why Phil had been carrying the ring around with him, but there is no hesitation when she accepts.


End file.
